Package construction



June 13, 1933.

L. J. WEHRLE 1,913,692

PACKAGE CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J R25 L LLL'JL'LW/ jeoiza z d Patented June 13, 1933 i a UNITED STATS,

PATENT OFFICE nnonnena. wnnnnn, or nnein, Tremors, AssIenoR To ELGIN BUTTER TUB coMPANY or ELGIN, rumors, A. CORPORATION on ILLINOIS PACKAGE CONSTRUCTION Application filed June 27,

My invention relates to shipping packages or containers and is more particularly adapted to wooden packages of the type used for transporting and dispensingv butter, lard,

oleomargarine and kindred products.

Packages of this type are required to measure up to certain qualifications, as to durability, appearance, longevity, ease of manufacture, etc., and strenuous efforts have been made by leading manufacturers of these packages to improve them along any of the aforementioned lines. To this end improvements have been directed to the construction of the tub and to the cover, and to means for fastening the cover, since in shipping these packages they must be securely closed both to prevent'pilferage and to preserve the quality of the goods shipped. 7

One of the principal objects of my invention is the provision of an improved -package construction wherein means is positioned adjacent thetop of thepackage to interlock with a portion of the cover therefor to securely hold the cover in place.

Another object of my invention is the provision of an improved package and cover construction whereby the goods in the package will be effectively sealed against exterior 36 conditions, thereby preserving inthe goodsv the same freshness and appearance that they. had when they were packed. v Another object of myinvention is to provide an improved Wooden package and cover construction wherein a wood-to-wood sealis obtained and also a metallic seal.

Still another object 'ofmy invention is the provision of'a wooden cover fora package having means thereon for making an inter i locking or snap'on engagement with a cooperating element on the package. It is another object of my invention to construct my improved snap-on cover and package so that the cover, while ordinarily locked on the package in a sealing engagement, may be removed by the aid of a special tool. a y

. It is another object of my invention to pro vide a snap-on cover for a wooden package which may be put on andtaken off many 1930. Serial No. 464,385.

also capable of holding the upper edge of the stavesof the package in proper relationship,

andcapable of centering the cover upon the package.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a package construction of the aforementioned type which has an attractive appearance, is practically unbreakable in ordi- 'nary use, and which may be easily and cheaply manufactured.

Other objects and advantages will be readily apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying two sheets of drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of atypical butter tub or container with a cover in place;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on theline 2-42 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the buttertub or container showing the cover in a partially removed condition and the special tool for removing the cover; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section on i the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 showing the manner in which the cover is removed with the special. too i I In the drawings, in Fig. 1, 10 represents the ordinary wooden tub or container composed of aplurality of wooden staves 12 which are fastened together to form a cylindrical body and held in this position by the hoops 14 positioned at the lower end of the container and approximately half way from the upper end of the container. These hoops may be of any suitable shape or form and may be wooden or metal hoops but, as they do not form any part of the invention, they will not be described herein in any great detail. The container 10 is provided with a bottom wall 16 for closingthe lower end of the container gnd is also provided with an open upper end As all wooden containers have a tendency to expand or contractdue to the inherent characteristics of the wood, means are provided adjacent the upper end 18 of the container for rigidly holding the container against expansion, and this means comprises an endless wire hoop 20 positioned around the container in an annular groove 22. The upper ends of the staves 12 which comprise the body of the container are rounded as at 26 to present a smooth finish and also to provide a smooth surface for the cover to rest upon.

The cover 30 may comprise a flat wooden disc portion 32 of approximately the same size as the top of the container 10. The edge of the cover 22 is cut to an approximate J-shape 34 and a metallic rim 36 has a por tion 38 formed to fit the V-shaped portion 34 of the cover and is spun or bent around the cover and securely fastened by spot-welding or other means to form a rigidly fitting rim around the cover 82. The rim 36 is bent outward at 40 and downward at 42 to form a vertically extending flanged portion around its entire periphery. The lower portion of the flange 42 is arcuately shaped to form a beaded portion 44 which is adapted to be snapped over the endless wire hoop 20 which has previously been described.

In actual use the cover which, due to the reinforcing metallic rim, is extremely rigid, is placed over the upper end 18 of a container which has been filled with butter, oleomargarine or any other product which it is desired to ship. In this position the lower edge of the beaded portion 44 will be pressed against the wire hoop 20. Continued downward pressure will spring the rim outward until the lower edge of the beaded portion passes over the hoop 20, at which time the rim will be sprung back to its normal position and will engage the hoop and the cover will belocked on. It will be seen that through this action the lower surface of the wooden cover portion 32 will bear against the upper edge 26 of the staves 12, causing a wood-to-wood seal at this point. It will further be apparent that due to the tension with which the bead 44 engages the wire hoop 20, a metallic seal is effected between these two parts, thus providing for the container a double seal, a wood-to-woodcontact and a metal-tometal contact.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that perishable goods placed in a container of this description will be hermetically sealed from the atmosphere as well as against dust and dirt which might otherwise creep into the container between the cover and the upper end and discolor or contaminate materials in the container.

In View of the fact that the cover has been snapped onto the tub. it will at once be apparent that the cover may be snapped off and to this end means are provided whereby the cover may be removed. A short portion of the bead 44 is bent back as at 46 to form a recess or lip for engagement with a cover-removing tool 48. The lip portion 46 may be of a comparatively short width so as not to detract from the sealing qualities of the construction and for the purpose of providing a grocery man or wholesaler with information as to the location of the short lip portion 46 an arrow head or other indicia 50 is placed upon the cover 30. The cover removing tool 48 may be of any suitable size or con-- figuration and forms no part of the present invention, it being merely a tool having a sharp edge portion 52 capable of engaging the rim below the lip 46. An upward pull upon the handle portion of'the tool, as shown in Fig. 4, will normally spring tile bead 44 sufliciently to allow it to be snapped oil of the wire hoop 20 to remove the cover.

It will. be apparent from the foregoing that a very effective cover and container construction has been provided. The danger of pillering is very slight due to the fact that some sort of a sharp-edged tool must be used to remove the cover and the possibility of the cover becoming loose upon the container during shipment is never present. Due to the fact that the cover may repeatedly be snapped on or snapped off, the container may be utilized in grocery stores to disp ay goods, or goods may be stored in my improved container for an indeterminate length. of time without any danger of spoilation or contamination.

It should be borne in mind that the wire hoop 20 around the top otthe container has a three-fold purpose :by the use of this wire hoop expansion of the container due to the humidity is not possible, the wire cooperates with the bead portion of the cover flange to lock the cover on and, due to the fact that the wire formsa true circle around the upper edge of the container, snapping the rim of the cover over thewire will serve to center the wooden portion of the cover over the top of the container, thus making certain that a wood-to-wood seal is at all times effective.

It will also be apparent that a cover not equipped with a snap or cover will readily be centered by engagement with this wire hoop. v

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, many modifications may be made without departure from the spirit of my invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A covered tub comprising a tub of nonmetallic material, awire hoop encircling, and partially embedded in, the periphery of the tub a spaced distance below its upper edge, a

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circular non-metallic cover for the tub resting on its upper edge, and an annular sheet metal rim for the cover carried thereby and having an integral depending annular resilient skirt with an outwardlyformed head at its lower end embracing the hoop, the lower or return flange of the bead terminating short of the periphery of the tub, the bead and skirt having suchresilience that the bead may be snapped on to and off fronrthe retaining hoop.

2. A covered tub comprising a tub of nonmetallic material, a wire hoop encircling, and

partially embedded in, the periphery of the tub a spaced distance below its upper edge, a circular non-metallic cover for the tub resting on its upper edge, and an annular sheet 

